Which Trees Offset Global Warming Best?

Trees are important tools in the fight to stave off global warming, because they absorb and store the key greenhouse gas emitted by our cars and power plants, carbon dioxide (CO2), before it has a chance to reach the upper atmosphere where it can help trap heat around the Earth’s surface.

All Plants Absorb Carbon Dioxide, but Trees are Best

While all living plant matter absorbs CO2 as part of photosynthesis, trees process significantly more than smaller plants due to their large size and extensive root structures. In essence, trees, as kings of the plant world, have much more “woody biomass” to store CO2 than smaller plants, and as a result are considered nature’s most efficient “carbon sinks.”
According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), tree species that grow quickly and live long are ideal carbon sinks. Unfortunately, these two attributes are usually mutually exclusive. Given the choice, foresters interested in maximizing the absorption and storage of CO2 (known as “carbon sequestration”) usually favor younger trees that grow more quickly than their older cohorts. However, slower growing trees can store much more carbon over their significantly longer lives.

Plant the Right Tree for the Right Location

Scientists are busy studying the carbon sequestration potential of different types of trees in various parts of the U.S., including Eucalyptus in Hawaii, loblolly pine in the Southeast, bottomland hardwoods in Mississippi, and poplars in the Great Lakes.
“There are literally dozens of tree species that could be planted depending upon location, climate and soils,” says Stan Wullschleger, a researcher at Tennessee’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory who specializes in the physiological response of plants to global climate change.

Choose Low-Maintenance Trees to Maximize Carbon Absorption

Dave Nowak, a researcher at the U.S. Forest Service’s Northern Research Station in Syracuse, New York has studied the use of trees for carbon sequestration in urban settings across the United States. A 2002 study he co-authored lists the Common Horse-chestnut, Black Walnut, American Sweetgum, Ponderosa Pine, Red Pine, White Pine, London Plane, Hispaniolan Pine, Douglas Fir, Scarlet Oak, Red Oak, Virginia Live Oak and Bald Cypress as examples of trees especially good at absorbing and storing CO2. Nowak advises urban land managers to avoid trees that require a lot of maintenance, as the burning of fossil fuels to power equipment like trucks and chainsaws will only erase the carbon absorption gains otherwise made.

Plant Any Tree Appropriate for Region and Climate to Offset Global Warming

Ultimately, trees of any shape, size or genetic origin help absorb CO2. Most scientists agree that the least expensive and perhaps easiest way for individuals to help offset the CO2 that they generate in their everyday lives is to plant a tree…any tree, as long as it is appropriate for the given region and climate.

(by Larry West, about.com)

The Five Most Important Things You Can Do for the Environment

If you feel you’re not doing enough for the environment by replacing your incandescent light bulbs with CFL or LED lights and composting your kitchen garbage, maybe you’re ready to make a deeper commitment to environmental stewardship.
Some of these strategies may seem a little radical, but they are among the most valuable actions you can take to protect and preserve Earth’s environment.

Have Fewer Children—or None
Overpopulation is arguably the world’s most serious environmental problem, because it exacerbates all of the others. The global population grew from 3 billion in 1959 to 6 billion in 1999, an increase of 100 percent in just 40 years. According to current projections, the world population will expand to 9 billion by 2040, a slower growth rate than during the last half of the 20th century but one that will leave us with many more people to accommodate.
Planet Earth is a closed system with limited resources—only so much fresh water and clean air, only so many acres of land for growing food. As the world population grows, our resources must stretch to serve more and more people. At some point, that will no longer be possible. Some scientists believe we have already passed that point.
Ultimately, we need to reverse this growth trend by gradually bringing the human population of our planet back down to a more manageable size. This means more people must decide to have fewer children. This may sound pretty simple on the surface, but the drive to reproduce is fundamental in all species and the decision to limit or forgo the experience is an emotional, cultural or religious one for many people.
In many developing countries, large families can be a matter of survival. Parents often have as many children as possible to ensure that some will live to help with farming or other work, and to care for the parents when they are old. For people in cultures like these, lower birth rates will only come after other serious issues such as poverty, hunger, poor sanitation and freedom from disease have been adequately addressed.
In addition to keeping your own family small, consider supporting programs that fight hunger and poverty, improve sanitation and hygiene, or promote family planning and reproductive health in developing nations.

Use Less Water—and Keep It Clean
Fresh, clean water is essential to life—no one can live long without it—yet it is one of the scarcest and most endangered resources on our increasingly fragile planet.
Water covers more than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface, but most of that is salt water. Freshwater supplies are much more limited, and today a third of the world’s people lack access to clean drinking water. According to the United Nations, 95 percent of the cities worldwide still dump raw sewage into their water supplies. Not surprisingly, 80 percent of all illnesses in developing countries can be linked to unsanitary water.
Use only as much water as you need, don’t waste the water you do use, and avoid doing anything to taint or endanger water supplies.

Eat Responsibly
Eating locally grown food supports local farmers and merchants in your own community as well as reducing the amount of fuel, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions required to move the food you eat from the farm to your table. Eating organic meat and produce keeps pesticides and chemical fertilizers off your plate and out of rivers and streams.
Eating responsibly also means eating less meat, and fewer animal products such as eggs and dairy products, or perhaps none at all. It’s a matter of good stewardship of our finite resources. Farm animals emit methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming, and raising animals for food requires many times more land and water than growing food crops.
Livestock now use 30 percent of the planet’s land surface, including 33 percent of farmland worldwide, which is used to produce animal feed. Every time you sit down to a plant-based meal instead of an animal-based meal, you save about 280 gallons of water and protect anywhere from 12 to 50 square feet of land from deforestation, overgrazing, and pesticide and fertilizer pollution.

Conserve Energy—and Switch to Renewable Energy
Walk, bike and use public transportation more. Drive less. Not only will you be healthier and help to preserve precious energy resources, you’ll also save money. According to a study by the American Public Transportation Association, families that use public transportation can reduce their household expenses by $6,200 annually, more than the average U.S. household spends on food every year.
There are dozens of other ways you can conserve energy—from turning off lights and unplugging appliances when they are not in use, to substituting cold water for hot whenever practical and weather stripping your doors and windows, to not overheating or overcooling your home and office. One way to start is to get a free energy audit from your local utility.
Whenever possible, choose renewable energy over fossil fuels. For example, many municipal utilities now offer green energy alternatives so that you can get some or all of your electricity from wind, solar or other renewable energy sources.

Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
Many human activities—from using coal-fired power plants to generate electricity to driving gasoline-powered vehicles—cause greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.
Scientists are already seeing significant climate changes that point to the likelihood of serious consequences, from increasing drought that could further reduce food and water supplies to rising sea levels that will submerge islands and coastal regions and create millions of environmental refugees.
Online calculators can help you measure and reduce your personal carbon footprint, but climate change is a global problem that requires global solutions and, so far, the world’s nations have been slow to find common ground on this issue. In addition to lowering your own carbon footprint, let your government officials know that you expect them to take action on this issue—and keep the pressure on until they do.

(by Larry West, about.com)

Conflict in The Forestry Sector

Extraction activities by way of forcibly appropriating natural forest resources from communities create multi-dimensional conflicts. Forest extraction that is initially aimed at benefiting the community and at the same time providing added value for economic growth in Indonesia ultimately ends in failure when the initial objective of benefiting the communities is not achieved. Essentially, development of the forestry sector in Indonesia can only be described as a success if it is able to maintain the existence and supportive capacity of the local environment. Development fails when it is unable to improve the welfare of the community, as one of its primary target groups.If we observe the path of forestry development in Indonesia over almost three decades, combined with various research and/or records about the communities in and around the forests, we will witness a colossal parade of failures of the forestry sector to respect community rights or support community welfare. This is evident, for example, in the lack of options that the Siak River community has to deal with the impacts of forestry industry along the river .
In 1991, the communities of three districts in South Aceh were threatened by starvation because their land was controlled by five companies with forestry concessions. The Sakai people in Riau still have to move due to the appropriation of their land by Arara Abadi, an affiliate of APP, and the Caltex oil company. They have been evicted from their land and have to work as laborers in order to rent a house plot on what used to be their people’s farming land.All this could only occur because the forestry development process is founded on an erroneous paradigm. Forestry development focuses on both domestic and foreign investment, which is hoped to have a subsequent trickle down effect. This has been unsuccessful. Instead, the people’s economic sectors have subsidized the economic activities of businessmen. Millions of hectares of people’s land have been taken over by businessmen through State policies that have ultimately failed to respect the rights or ensure welfare for the people.Makinudin and Effendi (2001) gave an example from South Aceh regency, which had an average economic growth of 6.2% in 2000 (with 50% contributed by the forestry sector annually), when the growth of the “green economy” was 3.6% at most. Why? The reason is that almost 50% of conventional economic growth in South Aceh had caused serious depreciation of forest resources. Flooding and landslides color the region’s economy ever more frequently. Of course, it is the community around the forests who suffer these impacts, combined with crop failures in the downstream agricultural sector.Appropriation of people’s lands, which is then claimed as State land, has multifold impacts that ultimately strip people of their means to rebel. Aceh is one of the most obvious examples. Rebellion in Aceh during the last two decades has partly been based on the injustice of natural resources exploitation. However, this is usually seen merely as an issue of factional politics in the political arena .Subdivision of forest (read: community) land into business concessions doesn’t just narrow the community’s living space but also cuts off their access to forest resources. This can only occur in a country that positions the Government as a power that has exorbitant rule over resources.The Government does actually acknowledge the existence of communities and their systems of land tenure. These are regulated in Law No. 5/60 on Agraria Principles and Law No. 5/67 on Forestry Principles, which was subsequently updated with Law on Forestry No. 41/99. However, regardless of this acknowledgement, it is also firmly stated that the opportunity to demand forest exploitation rights and collective rights may not override the national interest. This means that if the State has given rights to forestry businessmen to profit from the forests, the people must give way to (subsidize) these businessmen. From the point of view of the Government, the presence of industry at the location will have a trickle down effect – and provide a trickle of profit for the surrounding community.In the short term, a portion of the community indeed feels these economic advantages (apart from the group who lose their land and their economic support). Dozens of people carry out economic activities at the site, for example, supplying foodstuffs and other necessities, and getting employment opportunities – although most members of the community become laborers due to their limited education. Economic profits are derived. In the short term, when the process of exploitation is underway, the village pulses with the beat of life. In the long term, after the concession ends, the forest soils have lost their fertility, the community has lost access to the forest commodities that existed before the concession, and there are often horizontal conflicts and new pests, as well as new threats of flooding and landslides.Sardjono (2004) ranks several factors contributing to the sub-optimal impacts of forestry development policies for the local community. There is only one outcome for these many adverse impacts: conflict. The previous discussion provides the background for this conflict. It only requires one or two triggers – social envy, crop failure and so on – to make this conflict permanent.Such conflicts have been occurring since the colonial period. Although the triggers for conflict in the past and the present have significant differences, the root of the problems that emerge is always the same: differences in understanding of forestry resource management. During the era of kingdoms, forests were regarded as a single unit with the people. The King could not arbitrarily make decisions about the ownership of a forest area which was under a community’s administration. Instead, the King would ask for a tribute from the managing community. The same thing occurred if the kingdom had particular interest in the land; however this was always accompanied by adequate compensation. Despite this, in historic recordings, it is noted that the Padalarang people in West Java migrated when the Pasundan Kingdom forcibly appropriated the forests there for use as a hunting ground . This migration reflects one of the conflicts of the time.During the colonial period, the forests according to Javanese understanding were blessings from God who would indicate specific groups of people to receive these blessings, who then had the right to manage them. In a community with this sort of static thinking, dimensions of conflict and reflection on conflict would obviously develop in a very different and far more refined way.Education and opportunity to access information and knowledge transformed this outlook into something more dynamic. Despite this, there were still people from an adequate educational background who continued to hold the view that management was a blessing given to selected community groups, and not the result of humans’ own hard work.During the New Order period, reflections on the conflict itself were not transparent. The repressiveness displayed by the State through the military and police meant that people thought twice before demanding their rights. However, this was only a matter of time. The root of the problem were muted, but only required a push for dimensions of conflict to reemerge. Only those conflicts that emerged during this period are included. A number of conflicts that arose in previous years but have not yet been resolved are excluded. It is evident that in 2000 – 2006 there were 317 incidents of conflict in the forestry sector. The total number of conflicts declined from 59 conflicts in 2000 to 34 in 2002, and then increased again to twice the number in 2004. The post-decentralization growth in the number of non-government organizations can be seen as indicative of the size of their access to sources of conflict, hence leading to escalations of conflict in 2000, 2004 and 2006.The start of 2004 saw a change in the regime. Regime change, as shown by history, always makes people feel as if things will get better in the future. At the same time this pushes people to be more open and to have more aspirations since they hope that the problems they currently face will improve in the future.Another interesting finding is that a high proportion of conflict occurred in the plantation and forest concession sectors, followed by conflict in the conservation and industrial timber estate zones. Apart from conflicts in the plantation sector, conflicts in the logging concessions, protected zones and industrial timber estates also deserve our attention, remembering the significant proportion of conflicts that occur here. It needs to be determined, as mentioned above, how many of these conflicts are new rather than old recurring conflict. There are at least five major causes of conflict, that is, forest exploration, timber poaching, environmental destruction, regional boundaries or access and shifts in land use zoning. The most common cause of conflict in a range of areas (36%) is unclear forest boundaries for the surrounding community .In any part of the world, economic crises and conflicts that are accompanied by violence always receive the particular attention of Governments, non-Government organizations and even the private sector. The World Bank states that civil war and natural resource conflicts can bring development processes to a critical point, retard national economies and send communities’ social systems several years into the past.Attempts to prevent conflict, build understanding and peace between disputing parties, and carry out rehabilitation after conflict is a very difficult process. It requires Government and non-Government intervention, and also has political and technical dimensions that are fundamentally intertwined and cannot be separated.Indonesia, a country categorized as a “Developing Country”, is not free from natural resource conflicts. They are innumerable and have become a dominant factor as the major trigger of conflict, most of which end in violence. Research conducted in Riau Province found that 67% of a total 649 conflicts in the province between 1999 and 2003 arose from natural resource conflicts, and more than half ended in violence that caused fatalities .On one hand, violent conflict can be triggered by economic disparity, unequal access to natural resources, environmental degradation, population growth, disintegration and fragmentation within community groups, and failure of the State to perform its functions.On the other hand, conflict can arise due to the ineffectiveness of democratic institutions and conflict resolution mechanisms, unsupportive policies, loss of social identity and culture, and human rights violations. Although economic activities can trigger conflict, economic activities can also function as triggers that create peace between the disputing sides.In the last two decades, natural resources, including timber from natural forests, have played a foremost role as a source of conflict. Of 134 natural resource conflicts that occurred in Riau from 1999 – 2003, 13% were triggered by timber disputes related to stands, logging areas and distribution of profits . Indeed, research conducted by CIFOR shows that approximately 40% of forest cover in the world excluding Brazil is found in countries that have experienced many such conflicts.The disputes and conflicts in Indonesia, at both national and regional levels, that have been caused by timber cannot yet be proven academically. However, numerous natural resource conflicts that have occurred between the community, State and private sector show that the conflicts exist at significant frequency.In many cases, this conflict is triggered by illegal logging practices, both by the community, companies, and even by the State itself through State enterprises or by backing up or being otherwise involved in these practices.Research that has been carried out in Indonesia depicts the important role of the timber industry in the bigger scheme of conflicts. Although the data is still fragmented, it illustrates the respective roles of the stakeholders in conflicts. The involvement of the business sector itself is quite variable in WALHI’s notes, from the unilateral cancellation of agreements to violence that ends in murder.Companies often use violence to intimidate and stifle any opposition to their activities. The local Government police, and in many cases the military, also support timber companies when there is conflict with the community. This pattern emerged during the Soeharto Government and continues to be played out, though now in more creative forms and models. Companies still bribe the police, military and local Government to suppress anybody resistant to the company’s activities. Violations of human rights often occur in regions where there are industrial activities and Government security units, where these forces generally have a low educational background, minimal supervision and are free from the attention of the mass media and NGOs. The Government often tolerates and even supports these violent practices .In an attempt to maintain their traditional rights, communities tend to act pragmatically by seizing companies’ heavy equipment, blocking roads that companies must pass through, and the anarchical action of burning company field offices in order to stop company activities. The majority of these conflicts occur because of boundary issues that the companies and Government have not wanted or been able to resolve, environmental damage that has directly affected community life, failure to pay the agreed level of compensation, weak law enforcement, corruption and negative effects of decentralization become the triggers of larger conflict regarding natural resources.An interesting feature of conflict in the forestry sector that makes it distinct from other sectors is that conflict in the forestry sector involves many parties, from the local scale to the national scale, and even the international. Furthermore, the difference in status between the “strong” and “weak” parties is very distinct. The stronger parties are usually easily able to maintain their position because they have the power to oppose the weaker parties. They have more information and greater financial capacity than their weaker counterparts . This difference in power makes it difficult to find a solution for conflicts in the forestry sector.Another characteristic that distinguishes forestry sector conflicts to those in other sectors is that the public is often unaware of conflicts in the forestry sector. This is because they often occur in isolated areas or are co-opted by the various law enforcers so that journalists working in the field have little chance of adequately covering the story .

Tenurial Conflicts

Tenurial conflicts within the dimensions of Indonesian natural resource conflicts take first place in frequency. Border issues and unresolved compensation processes represent a portion of an increasing number of tenurial conflicts. Almost all of these conflicts occur because of differences in the perception of legal issues. Companies with timber concessions or industrial timber estates maintain that they have obtained official permission from the Government. On the other hand, the Government never does a ground check to see if the permits that they have issued disturb the community or not. This issue actually stems from the politics of “State forests” that has been applied thus far. Although regulations require confirmation of regions that have been designated as State forests, which are marked by boundaries (so that the potential for conflict with community ownership rights can be ascertained), the Government has neglected this confirmation in practice. The Government itself admits that boundaries for less than 20% of State forests have been confirmed. Therefore, if we refer back to the regulations, these forestry concessions could be described as illegitimate because they have not been issued in State forests.Tenurial conflict is a consequence of the ‘nationalization’ of forests. A paradigm of development based on the rate of domestic and foreign investment has led this country to give unlimited power to the Government. The Government provides an enormous opportunity to investors to invest their capital at the same time as ‘asking’ the people to subsidize the investors in terms of land. This process has proceeded smoothly with the incorporation of military interference. Runtu Village, South Arut District in Central Kalimantan is still a controversial case, where the involvement of the police and military to salvage investment has proceeded without any legal action whatsoever to address the favoritism demonstrated by the police.Since 1982, Runtu Village land has been “forced to subsidize” the PT Astra Agro Lestari company. New Order repression at that time succeeded in forcing the Runtu Village population to shut their mouths and accept the policies that were unilaterally issued by the central Government. It was only during the reform period that the community was brave enough to openly demand the land that had been appropriated by the company. In a subsequent meeting held by the company and the Government, the West Kotawaringin Local Government disingenuously found that the land could not be returned because of the agreed partnership between the West Kotawaringin Local Government and PT Astra Agro Lestari. Clearly, this agreement took place between the company and the local Government, subsequent to previous agreement with the central Government. The agreement of the community was not necessary because the development paradigm in Indonesia gives greater consideration to the amount of money invested by investors. Meanwhile, conflicts are also frequent in conservation regions. This could only occur because the determination of regions as national parks or protected forests was done without the participation of the local community. People unexpectedly discover national park boundary markers in their backyards. The impacts of these conflicts vary. The Government most often carries out evictions to solve the problem. The community are evicted from their villages because they are perceived as having crossed into the national park zone, although the community were living there well beforehand.The issue of compensation and outstanding compensation often emerges in tenurial conflicts. This accusation has some connection with history. Companies often ignore community concerns, often with encouragement from the Government. Companies are also often aided by military and police forces to assert their will on the people. This sort of behavior has fed the community’s hatred and mistrust of the Government and police/military forces, which became a major issue in the mass media in 2001. The freedom stemming from the reform period gave them an opportunity to demand the rights that they had lost over the previous years.The opposition displayed by the victimized community is often of a pragmatic nature. In many cases, the community is forced to close down companies’ activities by blocking roads or bridges. The community then lobbies the Minister for Forestry and relevant institutions with letters to demand that concessions be retracted. Is there a close connection between the increase in the number of conflicts and the reform era? The close association cannot be denied. Pressure applied to the community and mass media has meant that many conflicts in the forestry sector have not been exposed. For instance, when the strings of several national mass media are tugged, red lines are visible between the company owners and Golkar. Even if there are no direct relations between the two, Soeharto would control any news they released. The Minister for Information at the time, who in some people’s opinion could more accurately be identified as Golkar and Soeharto’s spokesperson, controlled the issue and retraction of press/publishing licenses. This much power meant that it was relatively easy for Soeharto to control journalism, by wielding the retraction of press/publishing licenses as a threat. In this way, Soeharto co-opted the media.The fall of Soeharto did not suddenly herald a democratic climate. During the BJ Habibie era, Government and military/police powers were still very strong, and able to control the mass media. Although repressive practices declined compared to previous years, this was not significant enough to give people/communities the courage to acknowledge conflicts in the forestry sector and bring these to the fore.It was only in the Abdurrahman Wahid period that the energy from several conflicts, which had previously been repressed, suddenly erupted. The graph of conflicts in a range of sectors increased sharply. The press started to feel the aura of freedom to report on what had previously been taboo.From the analysis above, it can be seen that boundaries are one of the main triggers of the conflicts that have emerged in the last decade. There is also, of course, an element of Government error in performing its duties and functions. To date, the Government has undertaken all necessary steps for forest gazettal in only 17% of the forests that it claims are State forests. 83% of the so-called State Forests have been created without following the regulations to establish their boundaries. This means that, according to regulations, more than 80% of State control of forests is illegal. This plundering continues until present. Where the policy for determination of boundaries has been handed over to local Government, the relevant local leader never carries it out, even though the industry in question has submitted their payment to the local cashbox for the boundaries to be set.Subsequently, a relevant question is, which borders need to be obeyed? Is it the boundary set by the Government or the borders acknowledged by local communities, which often overlap with the Government claim? Border issues will continue to recur if an appropriate solution is not found. It is not easy to reach an agreement about boundaries, but a solution must be found in order to end boundary conflicts in forestry areas. This uncertainty about the boundaries of customary land is often exploited by a section of the community to claim ridiculous areas of land.It is worth noting that the boundary issues are not new problems in the forestry sector. There needs to be agreement regarding the definitions, processes and determination of boundaries. In the Timber Legality Standard, one of the factors indicating whether a concession is legal or not is the existence of Boundary Delineation Notifications and map appendices, the verification of which has reference to community considerations.

Conflict Caused by Damage to the Environment and Health

Environmental damage and pollution that affect community health also contribute significantly to conflicts in the forestry sector. Although there has been no thorough research that examines the patterns of conflict caused by environmental damage, conflicts arising from logging practices and timber industry operations have occurred everywhere, including in the natural forests, industrial timber estates, national parks, pulp and paper factories, and plywood factories. Depending on the location and situation, conflicts can involve Government institutions, business stakeholders, the community, logging groups and security forces.In all parts of the world, the forests are indeed an arena for conflict between the various parties with stakes in forest resources. The interests of one party often clash with those of others. In many cases, conflicts of interest between companies with logging concessions and industrial timber estates often infringe the rights of the local people. The two sides both need timber to meet their production capacities. The industrial timber estates have tended to delay planting trees using the cost as an excuse. The money spent on developing industrial timber estates, including the permanent costs and the re-planting costs are far more expensive than accepting timber from other sources, which ultimately come from natural forests.Moreover, these two industries often carry out logging like a person eating hot porridge. That is, starting from the edge and heading to the center. In many cases, when a company carries out logging, it does not only log from the edge of its own concession, but penetrates deep into the natural forests, which are not part of its concession. In 2003, PT Arara Abadi clearly harvested timber far from its concession near Giam Siak Kecil Game Reserve. The distance between the logging and its concession was up to 11 km. Two companies (PT Arara Abadi and PT Riau Andalan Pulp & Paper) operating near the Zamrud Nature Reserve in Riau logged trees 14.2 km from their concessions .An example of conflict that really attracted the attention of both the national and international mass media was the case of the PT Arara Abadi (a subsidiary of Asia Pulp & Paper – Sinar Mas) security forces attacking Mandi Angin Village in Riau Province. Since 1999, PT Arara Abadi had carried out logging on 2,000 ha of community land (Rasau Kuning Resort). According to PT Arara Abadi’s testimony, this land was part of the company’s concession as proven by Decree of the Minister for Forestry No. 743/kpts-II/1996 on 25 November 1996 . However, the company have refrained from showing the map of this land. The local Government was similarly reluctant to help the community to ascertain the actual location of the PT Arara Abadi concession.On 23 February 2000, the problem was taken up by the Minister for Forestry in Jakarta, and a status quo was decided for the land. However, seven months afterwards, the company took 5,000 cubic meters of timber from the land. The community became angry and detained 20 PT Arara Abadi trucks. Two weeks later at 14.30 WIB, 500 of PT Arara Abadi’s militia carried out a surprise attack on the community settlement in Mandiangin village. The 500 men were transported in 10 trucks and brought sharp weapons such as machetes, axes and iron pieces. Meanwhile, the villagers only numbered 300 men. The attack by the militia saw two homes completely burnt down and 30 people injured. Interestingly, eyewitnesses testified that they saw police present who did nothing. Another interesting observation was that the militia did not forget to bring two ambulances. The Mandiangin Village Head, Syaiful Wakni, has continued to write letters to the company that essentially state that agricultural and collective land should be returned.Other conflicts that deserve attention are conflicts caused by the water and air pollution around factories. Although the problem of waste disposal is regulated in the Law on the Environment and companies must conduct an environmental risk analysis (AMDAL) before beginning operations , in reality many companies have unsatisfactory waste installations.This is also the case where discarded materials that are considered by the Environmental Impact Analysis do not correspond with the materials that are actually discarded. The construction of waste installations is indeed expensive and will reduce businessmen’s profit margins in the short-term. Hence, companies usually build solitary disposal pipes that are not actually connected with the sewerage pipes leading to the waste installation. By this means they can dupe auditing officers.Even the Environmental Impact Analysis process contains many deceptions. The academics used to conduct the Environmental Impact Analysis often have poor cultural and social knowledge of the local community. Even without considering the possibility of corruption in the form of data manipulation, the problems of conducting an Environmental Impact Analysis deserve close examination. Prior and Informed Consent Without Coercion must be the focus of attention because this has become the bargaining tool for whether or not a company’s entry is accepted, or considered to threaten the territory and rights of the community.Conflicts related to environmental damage and pollution can be found in the conflict involving the Porsea community and PT Inti Indorayon Utama (now Toba Pulp Lestari).Thousands of the Porsea community protested against the re-opening of PT Inti Indorayon Utama for operation, which has now changed its name to PT Toba Pulp Lestari (TPL). They felt that the peaceful life and healthy environment that they have enjoyed for four years would be lost with the re-opening. However, a cabinet meeting on 9 January 2002 explicitly decided to open, as seen in the results of the decision which depicted Rini Soewandi (Minister for Industry and Trade) as the team leader to observe the location and Yacob Nuwaewa to publicize the re-opening of Indorayon. Moreover, the plant had been operating on the sly for two to five hours per day since January 2003. The company also used military forces (Mobile Brigade and Police) to support the re-opening. These have already displayed their cruelty in capturing, assaulting and torturing members of the community who participated in the protest action.The Government’s stubborn attitude in allowing the reopening of Indorayon in Porsea has clearly hurt all of the community there, who feel that their lives have suffered immensely since the company began operating.During its course, Indorayon has affected community life through effects on the environment, human rights, culture and society. The forests have been severely damaged. This is proven by Landsat Satellite Image: as much as 24,116 ha land outside the Sibatuloting forest region now lacks cover and suffers heavy erosion including severe gully erosion and landslides. A rotten odor was constantly released during previous operations and the current re-opening of the pulp mill. Research undertaken by the University of Indonesia Public Health Faculty in collaboration with WALHI showed that this pollution has reduced the robustness of community health. Agricultural yields have also declined by 40%. Ducks, chickens, pigs and fish that are raised as well as hard plants such as stinkbean (petai), pithecolobium bean (jengkol), coffee and clove have become completely unproductive because of the pollution.In addition to the environmental losses and reduced level of health, the community also suffered materially, for instance due to the appropriation of 225 ha of their customary grazing land, which was surrendered to PT IIU for 30 years for compensation worth Rp 12,500/ha. In 1989, PT IIU charged 10 old women from Sugapa village for opposing Indorayon by maintaining their customary land. Landslides in Bulu Silape village buried and killed 13 people in 1989. Several instances of shootings and torture by militia have also left victims. To present, at least 20 people have died in the course of Indorayon’s operations.The data and incidents described above basically indicate to us that conflicts in the forestry sector exist, and at a high level relative to conflicts in other natural resource sectors. These conflicts have the potential to grow geographically and have many dimensions.In logging concessions and industrial timber estates, conflicts are often tightly suppressed so that they cannot emerge in either the mass media or the legislative, which is the representation of the people in Government. This silencing is done using violence. It has only one aim, that is, so that the people do not voice their stories to the public and so that other people cannot help, which would possibly incur costs on the company.

Conflicts in the forestry sector associated with tenure, environmental damage and/or health can be classified as:

o Appropriation of land by companies, followed by intimidation by police/military forces or company-owned militia, who generally have a background as petty criminals;o Restriction of access to forests so that communities cannot benefit from forest yields to improve their welfare;o Available employment cannot accommodate the educational level of the community in the villages;o Convoluted and unfruitful negotiations. Companies tend to send representatives who cannot make decisions, with the aim of stalling for time so that the community becomes bored with negotiating and resolving the conflict that has occurred;o Environmental damage, with the common symptoms being flooding, emergence of new pests and/or pollution;o Restriction of access to the benefits of resource extraction activities. Various programs for community development are conducted without negotiation with the community.Conflict due to Decentralization of PowerIt seems that decentralization can give birth to conflict. Local Governments feel dizzy with their new authority. They have always had the guidance of central Government, and now that it is time to be autonomous, it seems that not all provinces are capable and ready to perform their duties. The politics of power played by Soeharto also proved that political education has been inadequate. The people do not value the existence of differences in opinion.. The repressiveness of the New Order still maintains a good grip on everyone’s memory and when the opportunity arises, they put this into practice with the expectation of a similar response, that is, the obedience and subservience of political opponents. Regional level rulers have transformed from being the repressed to becoming the new repressors. Hundreds of Soehartos have emerged in all corners of Indonesia.The shift in power in 2000 deliberately recalled the issue of separatism. The central Government, which has been terrified of losing income from various natural resources in Indonesia, then gave responsibilities for agriculture, industry, trade and employment to the 360 regencies at the time (2000). However, defense, security, national planning and natural resource exploitation remained the jurisdiction of central Government.Although from one perspective this has greatly influenced the political climate in Indonesia, it has also had impacts elsewhere: the depletion of natural resources. More than three-quarters of regencies in Indonesia have a budget that is inadequate for carrying out regional administration. This is not a problem for areas that have natural gas and mineral resources because the proceeds from the Specific Allocation Fund is large enough to turn the wheels of government, although some still claim this is inadequate.To address this, the central Government issued regulations that allowed regencies to issue logging permits on 100 ha areas of land, which was originally aimed at helping poor communities around the forests to develop subsistence agriculture using capital from the logging. This objective was abused. While claiming to support the development of subsistence agriculture, the 100 ha permits were continually used as a money-making tool by the associated regencies.The 100 ha money machines not only caused problems with land degradation. The euphoria of decentralization had made the regents arrogant and they felt as if they had unlimited power over their jurisdiction. Boundary conflicts arose. This was caused by the great many regents who issued policies that conflicted with those passed by the central Government. 100 ha permits for timber processing (Timber Forest Proceeds Exploitation and Collection Permits) overlapped with industrial timber estates and logging concessions which had previously been issued by the central Government, as well as with community-owned lands.A study was conducted to see how far these problems met uncertainty and inconsistency in the regulations, which eventually ended in conflict. Regulations that were found to be inconsistent, unclear and problematic included: 1) decentralization of licensing; 2) weak and corrupt law enforcement; and 3) significant differences between official regulations and traditional rights. It was estimated that more than 500 regulations, laws and policies that regulate forests overlap. What needs to be recognized is that all this uncertainty has just one outcome, that is, environmental degradation and deterioration in health due to the unsustainable factory and logging operations.Another problem that has emerged from the 100 ha licensing is that there is no obligation for concession holders to carry out reforestation. The permits are also only valid for one year. This is sufficient time to clearfell all of the tree stands in and outside the concession (timber poaching); however it is not sufficient time to arrange a work plan for reforestation in the region.In reality, decentralization has produced an imbalance of power between national and local level Government. Political behavior at the regional level has ultimately manifested as a reincarnation of the nepotism and collusion commonly employed by Soeharto. Decentralization has suddenly created mini-Soehartos alongside a horrifying increase in corruption. In 2002, the Government passed Governmental Regulation 34/2002, which was aimed at reducing deforestation and stopping the issue of concessions by local Governments. This regulation also stipulated that concessions issued by Regency governments since 2002 were illegal and were therefore to be retracted. Here, the central Government has no idea how to enforce the law, since the police and military receive bribes from the illegal loggers or are actively involved in the illegal logging themselves .The problem becomes even more difficult because these two levels of Government both feel as if they have the right to issue permits. The lack of clear regulations regarding this problem, which could potentially solve the problem, means that resolution often occurs in the field. The figures for deforestation have escalated drastically across the board without any further attempt to seek the root of the problem. Forestry industries are falling over one by one because of the scarcity of legal raw materials.

(by freewebs, save forest)

Destructive Logging and Deforestation

The deforestation problem in Indonesia is spreading. Illegal and destructive logging is a major cause. In addition, conversion of forest areas for the development of oil palm and the pulp and paper industry has been substantial. Since the beginning of this decade, as much as 2.8 million ha of Indonesia’s forests have been lost each year to illegal and destructive logging. This has led to US $4 billion or 40 trillion rupiah in losses to the State per year. If we put two and two together, forest conversion and the pulp and paper industry are also causal factors in the rising rate of deforestation.We know that some 15.9 million ha of natural tropical forest has been cleared for forest conversion. The conversion of forests for oil palm development is a contributing factor to the increase in deforestation in Indonesia. From being prime land, 15.9 million ha of natural tropical forests have been cleared. On the contrary, there has been no meaningful increase in planted land area. Plantation area has only increased to 5.5 million ha in 2004, from 3.17 million ha in 2000.
More than 10 million ha of forest have been abandoned after the ‘harvest’ of the wood crop growing there. Similarly, the pulp and paper industry have also brought problems. This industry needs at least 27 million cubic meters of timber each year (Department of Forestry, 2006). Since plantation forests can only supply 30 percent of the total demand for pulp, this industry continues logging activities in natural forests, harvesting some 21.8 million cubic meters in order to fulfill its annual requirement. The timber obtained from natural forests is owned by company affiliates or taken from the concessions of its partners. This is not mentioning plywood or other trades, for which only 25% of timber requirements are supplied by plantation forests.
The negative impacts of forestry crime in Indonesia are described above. Economic losses from forestry crimes such as illegal logging, conversion of natural forests, and so on, are calculated to reach 200 trillion Rupiah. This loss does not include ecological disasters caused by illegal logging activities, such as floods and landslides, which now occur frequently in all corners of the Archipelago. The ecological degradation caused by forestry crimes is caused, at least, by two major factors: (1) differences in the outlooks and value systems upheld by the community, the forestry department, and the government (both local and central); and (2) erosion of the judicial process due to corruption, collusion and nepotism. At this point, enforcement of the law is inconsistent. Inconsistency in the judicial process is caused by the viruses of corruption, collusion and nepotism, which intricately bind the immediate interests of law enforcers (and even bureaucratic officers) throughout the judicial process, starting with the police, attorneys and the judiciary. The result is that anti-illegal logging operations in Papua Province (March 2005) failed to catch top-rung criminals or their protectors in the police force and military. From this operation, 186 suspects were arrested. But, until January 2007, only 13 suspects had been successfully prosecuted and not one syndicate leader has been caught. From the 18 major cases that have reached court, all accused have been released. Furthermore, differences in the outlooks and value systems upheld by the community, the forestry department and the government (both local and central) have been a major factor in the increasing rate of forestry crime. From the community’s perspective, forests function to protect people from high winds, drought and erosion. The forestry department also recognises the ecological functions of the forests; however, illegal clearing and logging are allowed to continue in accordance with the economic calculations maintained by the forestry department. Similarly, the government’s stance also draws from economic aspects of forests rather than its ecological functions. For them, the forests are a resource with abundant natural resource wealth that must be extracted for the national income.Unfortunately, the development policies that are implemented do not favour forest sustainability. As we track the rate of forestry crime (illegal logging, conversion of forests without replanting, the unlimited thirst of the pulp and paper industry for wood), it is clear that the government needs to halt several forms of forestry crime that have the potential to trigger a series of ecological disasters, such as floods, landslides, and drought. In addition, community involvement (especially the traditional community) in securing forest conservation is highly necessary. Moreover, the seriousness of all law enforcers (starting with the police force, attorney, to the judge) is crucial to stopping deforestation associated with forestry crimes. Without the serious involvement of all parties in carrying out surveillance, it is quite possible that Indonesia’s forests will be completely cleared in the not-too-distant future. Finally, deforestation as a consequence of illegal logging is caused, at least, by three major factors, that is, the lack of acknowledgement by the government of people’s rights to manage their forest resources, widespread corruption in various sectors of forest resource management, and the large gap between supply and demand. If these three factors are not immediately overcome – make no mistake – Indonesia’s forests will be rapidly cleared within a short timeframe.

(by freewebs.com)

Oud Inducement The Way to Save The Precious Tree

In the in 1980’s Indonesia can export around 2000 tons of oud to the whole globe, now within 20 years this capability had been decreased rapidly.
With an extensive explotation and without any effort of replanting from the locals, the oud is in mortal danger of extinction.
In 1992 the Convetion for Threatened and Endagered Species or CITES put Aquilaria and Grynops under CITES appendix II . But luck seems haven’t leave the golden tree. Research that were taken by American named Robert .A. Blanchette in Vietnam in 2001 had put a golden key for it’s survival. But in my personal opinion his research is nothing more then taking deeper experiment that had being done by locals long before his research. Such as nailing the agarwood, but his further research is a leap for agarwood or Oud survivability. This is inducement or innoculation using certain fungus that were inside the agarwood or oud itself.
We know that Oud or agarwood is a process of infection. The infection is caused by fungus. In the wild this infection can take from a decade to several centuries process.
The basic principal of Oud or agarwood inducement is copying this process but in quicker way.
Oud had very soft and light wood, so it was easy prey for bugs and fungus.
In the wild the infection begins with an insect larvae attack, the insect are making tunnel and live inside the tree for a period of time. The larvae activity inside the wood make a side effect which is the creation of micro climate inside the tunnel. So the tunnel that is a wound will be infected with fungus and the tree emmits resin to fight the evil boarders.
From those principals we make such process only with better way in controlled enviroment and correct dosage of fungus. We drill them and put fungus inside the holes.
This may look cruel but the ever demand of oud in the world cannot meet with the Oud stock in the jungle. So one way or another, this must be done so our children and their descendant may still can appreciate the golden tree.

(by agarwoodIndonesia.com)

Several Kinds of Agarwood that Exist in Indonesia

According to botanical point of view, oudh trees can be divided into several familia and genus. From it’s familia the agarwood or oudh trees were divided into 3 kinds of familia the first is the Thymeleaceae. This familia had several genus the first is Aetoxylon, the second is Aquillaria, the third is Enklenia, the fourth is Gonystylus, the fifth is Wikstroemia (use to be found in Java, now extinct because exessive hunting during the Dutch colonial era.)the sixth is Grynops.
The second familia is Leguminosae it only had one genus Dalbergia, The last familia is Euphorbiacae it also had only one genus that is Excoecaria.
Now we shall discuss about species, Aetoxylon only had one species that able to produce agarwood resin that is Aetoxylon Sympetalum also known as kayu bidurob, laka, garu buaya and pelabayan. A.Sympetalum has average high of 15 M or 49.212 ft with 25-27 cm in diamater. It has egg shapped leaf, it grows in sandy low land forest with average rain rate per year is about 1400 mm/year.
As for Aquilaria genus it has the riches and the best species that can produce agarwood resin. It has several species the first is Aquilaria Beccariana, secondly Aquilaria Microcarpa this tree is able to grow 35 M or 114.82 ft in high and 70 cm in it’s diameter, The third is the queen of Indonesian oudh Aquillaria Malacenensis LAMK this tree can grow about 40 M or 131.23 ft in high (as tall as cellphone tower!) with it’s diameter 80 cm. This tree is the best producer of agarwood resin and oil in Indonesia.The fourth is Aquilaria Fillaria it is only grow to the average high of 15-18 M and the trunk diameter is only 50 cm. this tree is natively to eastern part on Indonesia such Moluccas and Papua. In Papua this tree call as Age and in Moluccas known as Las. The fifth is Aquilaria Cumingiani.
The third genus is Gonystylus. It had 2 species G.bancanus and G.macrophyllus This plant is a huge one. It can reach 45 M in hight and it’s diameter ranged from 30-120 cm (almost as large as a dinning table.) this tree live in the bogs or wetlands. It produce ball resin. The ball resin formed because an infection hit the ex branches growing area. It grows in Sumatera and Kalimantan (borneo)
The fourth genus is Enkleia. Enkleia is a liana plant wich means it’s a climber plant (it climb up to another plant trunk’s or any other things to gain sunlight). This plant lenght can reach 30 M and the trunk diameter is only 10 cm. It has red colored trunk with branches and also a hook that use for climbing.
The fifth genus is WikstroemiaThis plant is a bush plant. It can reach 7 M in high it’s branches diameter it’s only 7.5 cm. The branches where red or brownnish colored. In Indonesia there are 3 species of Wikstoemia, Wisktroemia androsalmofolia Decne found in Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, East Nusa Tenggara and Papua. The second Wikstroemia polyantha Merr found all over Indonesia and the third is Wikstroemia Miq found in Sumatera and Kalimantan.
The sixth genus from Thylemeceae is Grynops it has 2 species Grynops verstegii found in Nusa Tenggara, Sulawesi , Moluccas and Papua the second species Grynops cumingiani this plant found in Sumatra.
Now we shall discuss the second family the Legumiosae, this Family only had one genus and one species that can produce agarwood resin. Dalbergia parvifolia from the genus of Dalbergia found in Sumatera and Kalimantan. This plant is a liana plant.
The last Family is Euphorbiaceae. From this family we found one genus Excoeccaria, the only species that can produce agarwood resin is Excoeccaria Agalocha. This tree live in the mangrove area. It can reach 10-20 M and it’s trunk diameter can reach 40 cm.

(by agarwoodIndonesia.com)

Agarwood Indonesia

Indonesia. The land of thousand islands, had one of the most bio diversity on earth. From the tropical rain forest in Kalimantan to Papua into the pastures of Nusa Tenggara. All unite into a unique and rich enviroment.
Known from it’s diversity Indonesia also known as one of the largest source of oudh or agarwood or gaharu. From 17 kinds of tree that can produce agarwood resin, 8 of them are exist in Indonesia.
Oud, agarwood or gaharu is known to mankind since the dawn of history. The term oudh came from Arabic word(???) wich literally means “wood”, the gaharu came from sanskrit word “aguru” wich mean “the heavy wood” since high quality agarwood is sinking when it puts on water, also known as jinko or kyara also aloeswood, eagleswood in Papua New Guinea.
Oudh or agarwood or gaharu is very rare. Because of excessive hunting for their woods and resin it is now on CITES appendix II, wich means this wood is only allowed to be trade in a very small quota. Indonesia as one of the largest exporter of agarwood restrict it’s exporting quota into 300 Tons/year but only 10-20% are already met.
In the wild agarwood can produce resin after years of process. The resin is actually a defense mechanism, this resin use as means to defend themselves from fungus infection. But now days technology can made agarwood produce agarwood resin just within 1-5 years after it grows in full size.
We offer you high quality agarwood oil and wood chip from it’s source. Our products are genuine no added material such as coloring agent, alcohol or agarwood oil solvent. Additive is very dangerous when it’s inhaled it may cause harm to your body. Alcohol added agarwood oil can cause cough. Other additives may be carcinogenic or causing other health problems.
So we give you 100% assurance that our oudh are genuine.
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ShareThisTags: aloeswood, eagleswood, gaharu, gaharu indonesia, jinko, kyara, oud, oud indonesia, Oudh, oudh indonesia

(by AgarwoodIndonesia.com)

Global Warming

Global warming is the theory that average temperatures around the world have begun to rise, and will continue to rise, because of an increase of certain gases in Earth's atmosphere. These gases are called ""greenhouse gases"" because they trap heat just like a greenhouse. The most plentiful greenhouse gases are water vapor and carbon dioxide. The increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is believed to be the main reason for global warming. What Causes Global Warming? Approximately two-thirds of the energy earth receives from the sun is absorbed by land masses and oceans and is then released into the atmosphere as warm, long-wave radiation. The atmosphere of earth is full of so-called greenhouse gases such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, ozone, methane, and nitrous oxide that act like a blanket, trapping some of the heat radiating from the land and oceans and preventing too much energy from escaping into space. The gas blanket works in much the same way as the glass panels of a greenhouse, serving to trap energy and keep temperatures at a steady level. The trapped heat keeps earth at a comfortable average temperature of about sixty-three degrees Fahrenheit. This process is known as the greenhouse effect. Point 1 - Global warming Caused by Natural Geologic Trends Human activities such as clear-cutting rain forests, burning fossil fuels, and driving cars contribute toward global warming. But human effects on climate are negligible compared with the effects naturally produced by the Earth, the atmosphere, and the Sun. The term global warming can be misleading or even alarmist. A warming climate is a complex and erratic phenomenon, which may include or even pass over into long or short periods of global or regional cooling. Similarly, periods of global cooling can include or pass over into warming periods. Until fairly recently in geologic time, there was a long period when the Earth was too warm to allow the formation of polar ice caps. Ocean levels naturally fall and rise as the Earth alternately cools and warms, and as the size of the polar ice caps consequently increases and decreases. Probably the greatest single factor in determining global cooling and warming cycles is the fluctuation of the Sun's energy output, over which humans obviously have no control. Humans released twice as much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere in 1990 as in 1958, but very little of this carbon dioxide remained in the atmosphere to increase the overall concentration of greenhouse gases. The main reason that atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration has not kept pace with industrial carbon dioxide emissions is that carbon dioxide is soluble in water. The oceans are far from saturated with carbon dioxide. A more troublesome way that humans increase carbon dioxide levels is by deforestation, which increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by reducing the number of trees and other green plants that use atmospheric carbon dioxide in photosynthesis. Another climatological factor is volcanic activity, a widespread, powerful, and completely natural phenomenon that generally has the effect of lowering atmospheric temperature after each eruption. There is no denying the danger facing such places as Venice, New Orleans, the Netherlands, and Bangladesh, which may all disappear under the sea within the next few hundred years. That danger is quite real, but little or nothing can be done about it, as natural causes far outstrip anthropogenic causes of the current global warming trend. Point 2 - Global Warming Caused by Humans According to the Third Assessment Report of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released in 2001, ""There is new and stronger evidence that most of the warming observed over the last 50 years is attributable to human activities."" Greenhouse gases accumulating from burning fossil fuels, and other gas-producing activities of industry, are blanketing the Earth and so causing the warming trend. The blanket of greenhouse gases (water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and tropospheric ozone) keeps the planet about 59F (15C) warmer than it would be without the cover. Water vapor is by far the most abundant greenhouse gas. The greenhouse effect gets its name because a layer in the atmosphere acts like the glass in a greenhouse, letting the Sun's light energy in, but preventing reflected lower energy heat radiation from escaping. All the greenhouse gases that occur naturally are also produced by human activities, thus increasing their levels in the atmosphere at an accelerating pace. In addition to the ""natural"" greenhouse gases are the fluorocarbons, which only appeared in the atmosphere when introduced by humans. Over the millennium before the Industrial Era, the atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases remained relatively constant, according to the IPCC report. Chlorofluorocarbons are believed by most scientists to be responsible for depleting the ozone layer that exists at the top of the stratosphere, the second layer in the Earth's atmosphere. The upper stratospheric ozone layer shields the Earth from intense ultraviolet radiation that causes skin cancer."

(By The Gale Group Inc.)

Benefits of a Spiritual Moment in Healing and How to Take That Into Your Everyday Life

As we enter difficult financial times, simple quality of life can become a significant tool. When we are dissatisfied within, it is normal to look outside to become satisfied. It is fine to be entertained and served in our life, but there may be a time when we can not afford it. That is where finding quality within definitely serves you and you can better deal with difficult times. " In a health crisis, the quality of your life helps the body to heal and cope with difficulties. Too often when you ignore your inner resources, you participate in a negative way and your efforts limit your natural healing potential. " Negative thinking limits the effectiveness of your treatments and at the same time sends a negative message to your body. You may not be able to control a health crisis, but you always can control how you think about it and interpret what is happening. " Too often we fall back on the way we have been conditioned in the past to deal with health challenges. Those old habits were conditioned without the intention of preparing you to be sick. You have to take control and condition conscious habits that serve you in a health challenge. "
Conscious habits can change the way you think and interpret your struggles. They can change how you trust yourself and how you express your heart. In a health challenge those qualities have a significant role in how you heal and cope with your situation. " When you take control over this sub-conscious influence in your life, you become an empowered partner with your doctor instead of a victim of your situation. Patients have a real role to play in healing. They have the ability to consciously use both inner and outer resources. " In the past patients were expected to suffer as a natural part of healing. When patients use both inner and outer resources to heal, suffering can be eliminated from the healing process as they spiritually develop. The moment is spiritual if you are ill or not, but when consciousness enters it, the potential for healing is the greatest. "
Now let's look at the struggles we face in our everyday life. If you were able to tap those same inner resources to deal with everyday struggles, you would remove resistance and useless stress from your life. In a health struggle it is easy to see that life is more important than your thoughts, but in our everyday life that consciousness is replaced with our conditioned character. It is totally possible to live in that conscious moment.

(By Marc Lerner)

Women's Safety Tip - How to Teach Your Kids About Safety - Important Safety Tip For Women

Many child safety programs inadvertently teach kids the opposite of what they want them to learn and then wonder why the kids do what they do. Women, moms, aunts, grandmothers, sisters, girlfriends, listen up! I'm going to share with you the most important child safety tip you will ever learn.
The subconscious mind ignores negative words.
Simple, isn't it? But oh, what an impact refusing to adjust our language has on our child's life, every minute of every hour of every day!
Let me explain. We were all kids once, right? Remember when you were running in the house and your mom kept saying, "Don't run in the house," and you kept running? She kept saying it and, if you're like the rest of us, you kept running. Were you disobeying? No. What Mom was telling your subconscious was, "Run in the house." She didn't realize her message was not delivered in its entirety.
We learn what to do by being told what to do. We also learn to do what people tell us not to do since the subconscious mind cannot "picture" not doing something. If Mom started out saying, "Please walk in the house," we would have walked. Our subconscious can picture it and therefore adjusts our behavior to act it out.
Action Steps For Safer Kids
Think about how many times you tell your child "no" or use the words "not" or "don't," "never" or "stop."
Write down the most common sentences you use with those words in them.
Rephrase the sentences now, before you need them, so you'll be ready with positive verbiage next time.
Example: switch "Never answer the door when I'm not home," to "Stay far away from the door if someone knocks when you're here alone."
Always tell your child what TO do in a positive manner. It takes practice. Speaking positively works for everyone of every age so practicing on your friends, relatives and coworkers will only improve every communication and relationship in your life.
So, now you know how to teach your kids about safety and the added benefit is that you know the key to getting what you want honestly, responsibly, quickly and peacefully.

(by Kelly Rudolph)

Have you ever wondered in what way are women like the computers we have at home?

Before you read any further, please note that this is not a piece out to damage or cut down the important role of women in our society. Read below only as humour and nothing more. These are intended solely for a good laugh.
Women are unique in many ways (and by this I mean different than men) and its this specific uniqueness or certain traits that I refer to when likening a woman to a personal computer. Do not get offended; it is intended to create a smile.
1) A woman is like a computer in that she costs more than you thought it would.
2) A woman resembles a personal computer in that she will not do exactly what you thought it will.
3) After a while, you simply cannot do without both: your computers and your woman.
4) Computers are just like women: after you have gotten used to them and cannot do without them, you discover that one is not enough.
5) Some computers, like some women, serve many people.
6) You can work miracles with both by gently using your fingers if you only know the proper code.
7) If you are inactive with them for more than fifteen minutes, they go off.
8) Just like a computer, the one who runs her has more privileges than just anyone else who is just running her.
9) When there are short-circuits of electricity, they shut you off and then you cannot always return to what was before the short-circuit.
10) Normally, they are available and receptive in the night, but its a lot better when they are available and receptive in the morning.
11) When you are, at last, sure that they will do what you wanted, they go off and do something else.
12) The only thing that you predict about the future with them is that they will react unpredictably.
13) Just like women, so too for computers: every year a new model is released that is younger, more advanced and gives a lot more.
14) A woman is just like a computer: you are happy with what you have but when you see what your friends have got, you are sure you want what they have.
15) Women are like computers in that no matter how much you improve and put into them, they only improve for a short time and then go back to their same old pace.
16) Women are like computers in that every day a new program comes out promising to revolutionize your knowledge and use of them, but after spending a lot more cash you realize that none of them work better than the old one you had before.
17) Women are like computers: you always want what others have and they want what you have but you cannot switch even for a trial basis.
18) Women are like computers in that when you get them you are sure that they are the best. But when the days go back, you wonder why you did not get them with a replacement note.

(By Jack Reider)

New Weight Loss Diets in 2009 - Review of Fad Diets From 2008

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few months, if you have any interest in losing weight then you must have heard of either the cabbage soup diet, the acai berry detox diet that was made popular on Oprah and the Banana diet. Yup, if you're thinking these all sound wacky then you wouldn't be too far off. Instead of speculating let me tell you briefly about each one and what the best way to lose weight in 2009 will be. Hopefully this way you'll avoid some of the fad diets of 2008 this way and use some new weight loss diets that actually work.
The Cabbage Soup Diet
What do you do? You eat cabbage soup every day for 7 days with a set amount of additional food each day. For example, on the first day you can have the soup and some fruits, another day you're allowed the soup and some lean meat etc.
Does it work? In comparison to the next couple of fad diets I'll mention, I'd say this one has the most legitimate claim to weight loss. By restricting carbs for the majority of the diet and primarily going off of soups and raw foods some days, weight loss can actually be expected. The change ups in the diet are a little strange, but overall this one isn't bad, and the fresh cabbage soup you need to eat every day can be quite good for you, assuming you're making it fresh and from scratch.
The Acai Berry Detox Diet
What do you do? Drink Acai berry juice everyday with a fiber shake... that's it.
Does it Work? I'm not fond of this diet at all, because it isn't one, and I feel there's quite a bit of deception surrounding it. For one thing it proposes Acai berry as the leading reason for its weight loss, when in reality it's the fiber shake that you need to drink every day that's providing the majority, if not all of the weight loss related benefits. Acai berries have many nutritional benefits. However I believe the push that they're getting for weight loss is unfounded and is just a way to cash in on the VERY expensive Acai juice that sells typically for around $40 for 30 servings, of which you are required to take 2 of every day to truly notice anything at all. If this is a special diet then so is eating fresh fruit and taking fiber every day, oh wait that's called staying healthy!
The Banana Diet
What do you do? You wake up drink some warm water and eat as many bananas as you'd like until you're no longer hungry. Then eat whatever you want for the rest of the day.
Does it work? I think these fad diets are just getting worse. The testimonials behind the success of this diet are sketchy at best, oh and they originated online too so don't place too much in the way of expectations on this diet. If this was actually a structured diet, as opposed to just eating bananas for breakfast then maybe there could be something to it, the way it is though its lacking... Significantly!
What are some weight loss diets for 2009?
Calorie Shifting: Basically using a system that balances out what you eat every day in an organized and easy to follow way you can expect to lose weight effortlessly. Best of all you don't have to stress over each meal trying to figure out if its ok to eat.

(By Dean Boukaras)

Climbing Plants: A Gardening Solution

One glance through a gardening magazine, and we are showered with images of pristine gardens, beautifully appointed with hundreds of varieties of plants, trees, and shrubs. While many of us aspire to have yards as beautiful as those in a magazine, few of us have the time or resources to achieve such perfection. However, with a little work and some good planning, even those of us with the blackest of thumbs will feel good about our efforts in the garden.

When reviewing your outdoor space, try to identify those areas that you're not very happy with. What do you want to change about them? Do you need some additional flowers or other plants? Perhaps the space doesn't feel balanced? Climbing plants may be just the answer you are looking for to solve a variety of common problems in outdoor areas.

Many plants, both annual and perennial, fall into the category of climbing plants. The more common climbers are clematis, morning glory, ivy, and honeysuckle. However, many plants that spread along the ground like creeping phlox and periwinkle can provide coverage for unsightly spaces in your outdoor area, as well.

Climbing plants can be used to solve a myriad of problems in your outdoor spaces. For example, do you have something unsightly that you need to cover, such as a garage wall, tree stump, or electrical meter? Use climbing plants to cover it up! They not only change the view you are seeing, but they can also provide color and fragrance to an area. Consider putting up a trellis on the side of your shed to soften it up with a burst of color and fragrance. Climbers can also provide coverage of retaining walls and fences with little effort.

While climbing plants can be trained to climb a trellis or wall, they can also be planted in a pot and allowed to cascade downward, or used as a groundcover. If you have some areas of the garden where bare soil is showing, consider using a vine or other groundcover plant to hide those bare spots.

Lack of privacy is another major issue that homeowners commonly cite when asked why they dislike their yards or gardens. Perhaps you have neighbors that are a little too close? A trellis, arbor, or pergolas is a great solution to this problem. Climbing plants will easily climb and cover these structures, providing privacy and beauty to your yard. Pergolas and arbors can also be used over pathways or gates, or to mark a transition from front yard or side yard into a backyard. In all of these places, consider planting a climbing vine at the base of the structure.
Within a few months, you'll have a stunning focal point for your yard.

Climbing plants are usually pretty self-sufficient and require little care to grow. Of course, there are the basic needs like sun and water. You might also want to be aware of the soil type or soil pH level that the plant requires, though with climbers this is usually a less important consideration. Obviously, the most important thing to consider when planting a climber is providing some support structure upon which it can grow. When allowing climbers to grow near buildings, it's important to keep a close eye on the plant so it doesn't get out of control. Some very vigorous climbers can damage homes, garages, or barns when allowed to grow unchecked.

Some climbing plants merely provide greenery, while others boast showy flowers in addition to their leaves. Flowering vines will oftentimes attract butterflies, birds, and wildlife. This should be taken into consideration when using climbing plants. For example, if you're using climbers near an outdoor eating area, you probably won't want to contend with bees that may be attracted to the flowers. On the other hand, a trellis with flowers outside your kitchen window can be a welcome sight, and an enjoyable place to watch the insects and wildlife that are attracted to it.

So the next time you're doing some gardening or landscaping, and thinking about ways you can improve the aesthetics of your yard, consider adding some climbing vines as a solution. There are many climbers to choose from that will add elegance and beauty to your outdoor living area. With a little time and effort, your garden can be every bit as beautiful as one of those you see in a magazine.

(By Ellen Bell)

The Treatment of Asthma

Many people grappling with asthma have never given yoga a thought when they are looking for a solution to their problem. Unknown to them, yoga is a form of exercise that will help you get the much needed relief you want. It is a breathing exercise that will people suffering from mild asthma. Also, it helps reduce the use of low-dose drug inhalers by asthma patients.

Yoga practitioners believed in the benefits of pranayama breathing exercises for asthma patients. But this has not been proved formally. However, using a pink city lung, a device that imposes slow breathing on the patient and mimic the way pranayama works; it is possible to measure the effects of controlled breathing.

Two forms of simulated pranayama exercise were tested. These are slow deep breathing and breathing out for twice as long as breathing in.

When you are grappling with asthma, what happens is that the airways is restricted and this makes breathing difficult for you. This problem is very common in the UK. It is reported that more than 3 million children and adults are affected with the problem. Also, it is reported that about 2,000 lives are claimed annually by asthma.

Doctors made use of standard clinical tests to measure the volume of air patients were able to blow out in a second. Also they tested the irritability of the patient's airways. After having the patients go through yoga, it was discovered that their airways were twice less irritable.

It is highly recommended that you consult a professional before making use of yoga. And if you want to make use of it, ensure that you do it under the close watch of a medical doctor or practitioner. Also, ensure that you practice yoga with the help of a yoga expert. This is to prevent any problem that may occur in the process.

While asthma patients are not advised to stop their medications, they are only urged through this article to try yoga out. Not only will it give them the much needed relief, it may also save them lots of their hard earned money.

(By Ras Reed)